New luxury hotel design at old Four Seasons Vancouver (RENDERINGS)

Artistic rendering of the new hotel within the former Four Seasons Hotel Vancouver tower. (Zeidler Architecture/Cadillac Fairview)

More than two years after Cadillac Fairview first announced a new upscale hotel chain will take the place of the Four Seasons Hotel Vancouver, there is now a first glimpse of the design of the reimagined space for the new replacement hotel.

Schematics recently submitted to the municipal government by property owner Cadillac Fairview and Zeidler Architecture show a complete renovation of the tower, and reconfiguration of its interior.

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Construction work has been ongoing for about two years already, with interior demolition activities beginning shortly after the longtime Four Seasons Hotel Vancouver closed in early 2020.

“Cadillac Fairview (CF) is pleased to confirm it has submitted a development permit application for a new, luxury hotel, which will be located in downtown Vancouver at CF Pacific Centre,” Janine Ramparas, the senior director of communications for CF, told Daily Hive Urbanized.

“With this application, CF is once again investing in the long-term success of the city, introducing an exciting and vibrant hospitality concept to our landmark property that will solidify it as the destination of choice in downtown Vancouver and support the recovery of the city’s tourism industry.”

January 2022 construction progress on the renovations to the former Four Seasons Hotel Vancouver tower. (Google Maps)

Artistic rendering of the new hotel within the former Four Seasons Hotel Vancouver tower. (Zeidler Architecture/Cadillac Fairview)

Artistic rendering of the renovated Howe Street porte cochere and main entrance at the new hotel within the former Four Seasons Hotel Vancouver tower. (Zeidler Architecture/Cadillac Fairview)

The main hotel entrance on Howe Street and the porte cochere will be redesigned to improve access.

Within the upper two floors of the lower podium of the 29-storey hotel tower, the back-of-house and public hotel spaces have flipped in position. The previous hotel’s back-of-house spaces were along the west side of the building, along Howe Street, but the new plans call for placing the back-of-house spaces on the eastern half of the floor plates, within the core of the city block.

This reconfiguration allows for restaurants, bars, meeting rooms, and other public common areas of the hotel to hover above Howe Street. Currently, the podium levels facing Howe Street are windowless, but this would completely change with the renovation puncturing in large windows along the façade, and adding a two-storey, glass-enclosed space at the northwest corner for the pre-function space of the hotel’s new largest ballroom.

Artistic rendering of the new hotel within the former Four Seasons Hotel Vancouver tower. (Zeidler Architecture/Cadillac Fairview)

Previous configuration of the podium levels under Four Seasons operations (left) and the new reconfiguration under the future hotel operator (right). Areas coloured in pink represent publicly accessible areas, while turquoise represents hotel back-of-house. Click on the image for an enlarged version. (Zeidler Architecture/Cadillac Fairview)

Diagram of the new hotel within the former Former Seasons Hotel Vancouver tower. (Zeidler Architecture/Cadillac Fairview)

Overall, the building’s entire façade — both the podium and the tower — will be completely re-clad with a combination of metal cladding and windows.

There would also be a reconfiguration of the outdoor amenity space on the podium rooftop on the fourth level of the building. New decking will be added, the entire landscaped amenity space will be rebuilt, including the removal and replacement of existing trees, and the indoor/outdoor swimming pool will be renovated.

Artistic rendering of the renovated outdoor amenity area on the podium rooftop at the new hotel within the former Four Seasons Hotel Vancouver tower. (Zeidler Architecture/Cadillac Fairview)

Artistic rendering of the new hotel within the former Four Seasons Hotel Vancouver tower. (Zeidler Architecture/Cadillac Fairview)

On the 28th floor, the top floor of the tower, the space will be transformed into a one-of-a-kind destination — a restaurant, bar, lounge, and a partially-covered outdoor terrace on the east side of the floor.

This dining and entertainment venue on the tower rooftop will offer views of the cityscape and mountains.

Layout of the 28th floor restaurant, bar, and lounge at the new hotel within the former Former Seasons Hotel Vancouver tower. (Zeidler Architecture/Cadillac Fairview)

Artistic rendering of the 28th floor restaurant, bar, and lounge at the new hotel within the former Former Seasons Hotel Vancouver tower. (Zeidler Architecture/Cadillac Fairview)

Other upgrades that will be performed include seismic improvements to ensure the 1976-built structure’s longevity and adherence to current building code standards.

With the changes, the building’s height will increase slightly by a few feet to 312 ft, with an architectural crown concealing building mechanical equipment above the rooftop restaurant.

But the schematics provided no hint of the brand and operator of the new hotel, which remains highly elusive and secretive. Industry insiders previously told Daily Hive Urbanized that The Ritz-Carlton is expected to be the new hotel operator.

No timeline for completion and opening has been established.

Daily Hive Urbanized has reached out to Cadillac Fairview for further comment on the new hotel project for CF Pacific Centre.

The adjacent new two-storey retail pavilion immediately south of the hotel tower — replacing the mall’s former dome rotunda at the northeast corner of the intersection of West Georgia and Howe streets — is now approaching completion. It is set to become Metro Vancouver’s flagship Apple store.

Diagram of the new hotel within the former Former Seasons Hotel Vancouver tower. (Zeidler Architecture/Cadillac Fairview)

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